SC refuses relief to Roche on patent plea against Cipla

The Supreme Court today refused to give any relief to Swiss pharma firm Hoffman La Roche Ltd that had challenged a Delhi High Court order allowing Cipla to manufacture and sell a generic version of lung cancer drug 'Erlotinib'.

A bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari, while disposing of Roche's plea, said that it was not inclined to give any relief and asked the single judge of the High Court, before whom the original petition is pending, to decide the matter expeditiously.

Besides, it said that the single judge should not be influenced by any observations made by the division bench.

 

The division bench of the High Court besides imposing a cost of Rs five lakh on the Swiss Company had also dismissed its plea seeking to restrain Cipla from manufacturing and selling the generic drug till the issue of patent rights was decided through litigation.